


That Raging & Wholly Unsuccessful Thing (aka Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic)

by YouBlitheringIdiot



Series: We Can Be Heroes universe one shots [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Pre wolfstar, Pre-relationship jily, canon jily, jily, oblivious idiots, silly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26191105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouBlitheringIdiot/pseuds/YouBlitheringIdiot
Summary: “So…” he said, smiling at her.“So…” she repeated, smiling back.It was a flirty grin, without a doubt, it really was, unless he was imagining it.“Your tie is crooked,” she said, reaching out to fix it deftly, slowly, smoothing it down.“I wish he’d turn around so I could see the size of his grin,” Sirius said.It was annoying being an Animagus and having such excellent hearing. Especially as Sirius was right. He stuck his hand behind his back and made a rude hand gesture at his stupid friends.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Series: We Can Be Heroes universe one shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902172
Comments: 32
Kudos: 94





	That Raging & Wholly Unsuccessful Thing (aka Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lizardcookie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizardcookie/gifts).



> This is for Lizardcookie - It's ridiculous cause you gifted us with a new Jily fic today, which is outrageously excellent and a huge treat (nothing new here, I love it). So this is a small, silly, fluffy bit of pre-relationship Jily back at you. Hope you have a beautiful day Sarah, you deserve much joy xxx

**That Raging & Wholly Unsuccessful Thing **(aka _Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic)_

_Though I've tried before to tell her_   
_Of the feelings I have for her in my heart_   
_Every time that I come near her I just lose my nerve_   
_As I've done from the start_

_Every little thing she does is magic_   
_Everything she do just turns me on_   
_Even though my life before was tragic_   
_Now I know my love for her goes on_

The Police _Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic_

She was standing talking to Mary Mc Donald, Dorcas Meadows and Benjy Fenwick, her satchel slung casually over her shoulder, her auburn waves blowing gently in the cold air. The white smoke billowing from the Hogwarts Express enveloping her and temporarily hiding her from his sight. When she emerged from the haze, she was laughing uproariously at something Mary had said, her head thrown back, her eyes closed, her nose wrinkled up, like it always did when she found something funny. He knew when she opened her eyes they would be shining brightly, so vividly, so alive. The 6th Year Christmas holidays had only lasted two weeks but he felt as though he hadn’t seen her in years. Her eyes wandered around the bustling platform, as though searching for someone, until they found his.  
  
“Fucking hell!”

  
He stumbled forwards and Sirius let out a sharp laugh.

  
“What happened?” Remus called out, sounding vaguely concerned despite his laughter.

  
“He walked into the lamp post cause he was ogling Evans,” Peter snorted as James rubbed the side of his head.

  
“Not ogling!” he rolled his eyes good humouredly, trying to look annoyed as the others laughed again. “I was just looking at her laughing.”  
  
He hadn’t been ogling. Not really. Not in a weird way. It was simply that seeing her happy made him feel so warm and contented and bursting with something. Joy, or something like it. He wanted to be the one making her laugh like that. Making her so happy.  
  
She deserved to be happy.  
  


“Merlin, he’s so deaf! Oi, Prongs!” Sirius’ shouts woke him from his reverie.

  
“Huh?” He turned around sharply, still looking at her, distracted by her, and almost lost his footing again.

  
His traitorous mates dissolved into giggles.

  
“You are a lost cause!” Sirius said, coming over and patting his shoulder with a smirk.  
  
“I am, yeah,” James said, earning another laugh from Sirius.

  
It was one of the things his mates liked about him, that he knew how to laugh at himself. That he didn’t mind them taking the piss, constantly.

  
“She’s looking over at you,” Remus commented dryly, as he straightened James’ tie.

  
“Huh?” James jerked him head in Lily’s direction.

  
“Fuck” he added, wincing and holding his neck.

  
“Did you just give yourself a torticollis?” Remus asked, looking at him as though in awe at his utter disastrousness.

  
“Torti-whaty-whaty?” asked Sirius, staring at Remus with what James thought was a lovestruck expression.

  
“Crick in his neck,” Remus said, with an affectionate sigh.

“Word snob,” said Sirius, sounding impressed.

“Fuck you,” said Remus, sounding pleased.

  
“Maybe?” James replied, vague, his attention wholly and irrevocably focused on the red headed student.

  
“She’s smiling at you again Prongs,” Peter chuckled.

  
She was. She really was. Such a fond look.

  
“She’s laughing at you, Prongs,” Sirius said.

  
“Fuck off, Padfoot,” James grinned back at her.

  
She was laughing at him. He had succeeded in making her laugh. Not in the way he would have preferred, but still, it counted for something.

  
“She’s smitten too, Prongs, she fucking loves you,” Sirius added with a smug expression, pulling up the collar of his leather jacket to look cooler (as apparently that’s what muggles thought was cool, who knew?).

  
“Nah!” said James, giving Sirius an exaggerated eye roll and hoping his dark skin hid his flushed cheeks. “She doesn’t.”  
  
She was everything. She could beat him in an Arithmancy test and have him swooning over her mastery of Potions. She could win his eternal favour by wearing a teal blue hooded robe or wearing a scuffed pair of runners with torn jeans. By standing up to Mulciber, fearlessly, and by helping a confused First Year. By accepting Remus' _Furry Little Problem_ without a second thought, by teasing Sirius and by joining in with Peter's antics. Every little thing she did was magic. The way she placed her hair behind her ear, almost coy, the way she jumped up and down and screamed her approval when Gryffindor won that last match against the Hufflepuffs, screaming his name.

_Screaming his name…_

“Ouch!” he said, turning around to glare at Sirius. “Why d’you poke me, you twat?”

“Merlin’s arse, Prongs!” said Sirius, poking him again, rather viciously. “She spoke to you? And you just ignored her?”

James elbowed him back, the annoying little fucker.

“Fuck off…what?” he said, whipping his head around and looking over at Lily.

She was biting her lower lip and smiling at him.

Of course, he was so blind and stupid it was a curse from the gods and Merlin, fuck! He was such an idiot and-

Somehow, he had managed to walk over to her, without making a conscious decision, and was now standing right in front of her, speechless.

“Alright, Potter?” she said, like she wanted him to say it back.

He grinned wide, so wide.

“Alright, Evans?” he said, winking at her and immediately ruffling his hair.

She nodded, beaming at him, the cold, crisp air condensing her breath and blowing it towards him when she exhaled. He breathed in and felt like she had given it to him, like she was his oxygen.

“Have a good Christmas?” she said.

“Huh?” he asked distractedly before nodding vigorously. “Uh-huh!”

She laughed, a soft sound.

“Sorry! You, er, what about you, Evans?” he asked.

“Meh, not bad,” she said, shrugging and hoisting the leather strap of her satchel higher onto her shoulder.

It didn’t sound brilliant. He put his hand out and squeezed her shoulder carefully, commiserating with her.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

She must have read the kindness in his voice because her smile was so genuinely warm.

“S’okay,” she said, bringing her hands up to her mouth and breathing on her white fingertips.

“Cold?” he asked.

“A bit,” she said.

They were a perfect height difference to kiss.

“There,” he said, using wandless magic to send a heating charm her way. “Better?”

“Show-off,” she said, looking happy. “Thanks, Potter.”

“So…” he said, smiling at her.

“So…” she repeated, smiling back.

It was a flirty grin, without a doubt, it really was, unless he was imagining it.

“Your tie is crooked,” she said, reaching out to fix it deftly, slowly, smoothing it down.

“I wish he’d turn around so I could see the size of his grin,” Sirius said.

It was annoying being an Animagus and having such excellent hearing. Especially as Sirius was right. He stuck his hand behind his back and made a rude hand gesture at his stupid friends.

“I wouldn’t mind, but I just fixed that tie,” Remus said, smug bastard, ignoring him.

“She’s always coming up with excuses to touch him,” Peter said, casually, like this was a well-known fact and not a new and life-defining piece of information. “Fixing non-existent wrinkles on his cloak.”

“Or cleaning his glasses,” Sirius added.

“Or straightening them cause they’re crooked,” Remus chortled.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Sirius said, probably with an evil grin.

“That Prongs’ Raging and Wholly Unsuccessful Thing For Evans isn’t actually a thing?” Remus said.

“Oh, it’s a thing alright, but only because of Evans’ equally raging and wholly unsuccessful thing for Prongs,” Peter said.

The others cackled. James turned puce. His heart skipped a beat. Her hands had somehow remained on the lapels of his jacket. They were standing so close, it was agony and bliss. Her cheeks were slightly pink, probably from the cold?

The loud hiss of the steam engine and the low whistle made them both jump apart. He noticed Mary MacDonald was looking at Lily like she was a total idiot, for some reason, maybe for talking to him? He cleared his throat self-consciously. But Mary MacDonald smiled at him, a really happy, encouraging sort of a smile, like she wasn’t mad at him at all. Honestly, he had no clue at this stage.

“We better get on the train,” Lily said, beaming up at him.

“Uh-huh, sure,” he replied, not moving.

“Come on! You’ll miss it!” she said with a tender eye-roll, taking his hand, and pulling him towards the bustling red engine.

………………………………………

“Aaaand there it is again,” Remus commented drily. “Once more initiated by Lily Oblivious Evans.”

“But apparently they’re Just Friends and he doesn’t want to date her,” Peter sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “And vice-versa, gah!”

“Such bollocks,” said Sirius, firmly, like he had irrefutable evidence to back his claim*.

Lily turned and pulled James up onto the carriage step, stumbling backwards as he hopped on and grabbing onto his arms to stop herself from falling, both laughing in a ridiculously adorable, utterly smitten way.

“Ah, for fuck’s sake,” grumbled Peter.

The train began to inch its way slowly away from Platform 93/4. James stuck his head out of the window.

“Oi! What are you lot doing? Get on the damned train!” he shouted at them, waving his arms for good measure.

“Aaargh!”

“Merlin, fuck!”

“Shit!”

“Run!”

“Your bag! Don’t forget your case!”

“FUCKING PRONGS FORGOT HIS TRUNK!”

“Fuck, fuck, fuckety fuck!”

“Run, you fools!”

“This is all Prongs’ fault!”

“And Evans!”

“Both fucking idiots!”

“SHUT UP AND RUN!”

……………………………………

*Padfoot did have irrefutable evidence because Lily had confided in the big black dog that she fancied James Fleamont Potter at the Hogwarts Christmas Ball, and chivalrous dogs don’t break confidences.

**Note:** If you don't think Lily was every bit as smitten with James as he was with her, you are wrong...

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> P.S. For some reason I wanted to fit in as many “huh” and “meh” etc as possible after reading a tumblr post on non-lexical vocables (listen, it was honestly fascinating!?)
> 
> P.P.S. I think Remus Lupin is writing this


End file.
